“After seeing an early run on the top wide receivers in the NFL Draft, the Saints apparently felt like they couldn’t wait any longer Thursday. The team traded with the Arizona Cardinals for the 20th pick in the first round and took Brandin Cooks of Oregon State.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“The collapse of Senate Keystone XL talks has set a new political blame game in motion — and no one has more at stake than Sen. Mary Landrieu. Facing a difficult reelection battle, the Louisiana Democrat is pointing the finger at Republicans, namely Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for letting a deal slip away that could have allowed a stand-alone vote this month on TransCanada’s long-sought oil pipeline project. Meanwhile the GOP is once again labeling Landrieu as powerless despite her recent rise to the top of the Senate energy committee.” – POLITICO

“A nearly $25 billion budget for next year that includes Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposals for new spending on health care, colleges and state worker pay won passage Thursday from the Louisiana House.” – NOLA.com

“Common Core critics suffered their fourth major defeat of the session Thursday when a Senate committee crushed a bid to scrap the national academic standards in favor of new ones drafted by Louisiana parents and educators.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Bobby Jindal, Rhodes scholar, conservative intellectual and Louisiana governor, travels this weekend to Lynchburg, Va.-based Liberty University, to give a commencement address at the conservative Christian school founded by the late Jerry Falwell.” – Washington Post

“The Louisiana Senate Education Committee voted 6-1 Thursday (May 8) to kill a bill that would have repealed the Common Coreacademic standards, the latest in a string of failed attempts at rolling back the nationally recognized education benchmarks in Louisiana.” – NOLA.com

“The Facebook account metro councilman Ryan Heck has been using to discuss topics dealing with city government is no longer active.” – WBRZ

“Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is urging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to back off any challenge to Phil’s Grill’s ‘Lom-Burger Trophy’ and the ‘Burger Bowl’ the New Orleans restaurant features when the Saints are playing both for fun and to raise money for charity.” – NOLA.com

“The women behind two of Louisiana’s most famous husbands will step to the forefront Friday and off a 24-story building in Baton Rouge. Supriya Jindal and Korie Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’ will rappel 308 feet down the side of One America Place around 1 p.m. to help raise awareness for Louisiana Family Forum’s ‘Over the Edge for Adoption’ campaign.” – KATC

“More than a dozen teachers are ready to call it quits at just one local public school in East Baton Rouge Parish. Educators are saying the main reasons they’re throwing in the towel are a lack of discipline and increasing violence inside the classrooms.” – WAFB